The Best of

Dr Jonathan Kuttner
&
Naomi Kuttner
Life After Pain
A collection of articles & emails that changed peoples lives....
Life Afer Pain Ltd
A Publication of
Life Afer
Pain
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The Day I prescribed a Puppy Dog
(and did my first consult in the back garden)
It was a few years ago - a busy Tursday in the middle of summer. All three of my consulting
rooms were full, either with people lying with hot packs, or acupuncture needles.
But there was a young man in my waiting room whod come to see me because he had
depression.
So we went outside. My old surgery used to be a villa. It had a lovely garden with apple trees
and fowers at the back, a perfect place to enjoy the summer day.
We sat out on the picnic table, and he told me about his fears, worries and despair.
So I prescribed him a very specifc treatment. I asked him to go down do the SPCA
(homeless dog shelter) and pick out a lovely puppy - maybe one with a bit of Labrador in it
- a people-loving kind of dog.
Because nothing beats a puppy for unconditional love, trust and companionship.
And, when you have to look afer a puppy, your focus changes - from inwards, to outwards.
Sometimes, a focus change is exactly what you need to start your journey back to health.
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Youre More Powerful Than You Think
(...in fact - youre awesome)
With all the doom and gloom in the world today, its sometimes hard to keep a positive
outlook.
Tats why today Id like to dedicate this email to the brave people living with pain who
every day get up and go about their daily lives with will and determination.
People whore fghting to overcome a health problem are some of the most courageous and
steadfast people Ive met. You dont know how powerful you are - and what a diference you
can make in your own lives and the lives of those around you.
You never take for granted the things that most people do - like getting out of
bed every morning pain free. While this makes daily life much harder, its also a
hidden source of strength - its not likely youll let the unimportant things in life
bother you.
Even though people have no idea what a struggle it is to meet each day with faith
and hope, you do it anyway, regardless. You could be a soldier fghting a lone
battle every day for all they know.
Youre inquisitive, intelligent, willing to challenge conventional treatments in
order to fnd a solution.
While other people complain about their jobs because theyre bored, youre
giving it your all just to stay on top of your job, regain your health and look afer
the ones you share your life with
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You never stop searching for a solution to chronic pain- whether its for yourself
or for your loved ones. Youre slowly becoming an expert in an area of health
that most people never hear of.
And I want you to know - you have more power than you think. Our bodies are ALWAYS
regenerating, healing growing, living. And were naturally geared to heal. Te keys to health
are diferent for everyone, but I know that people like you are the ones who fnd theirs.
So, starting today, walk tall, breathe deep and know that what you do in your daily life
makes a huge diference to all the people around you
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Alice in Wonderland
Where we revisit the most basic thing possible
I was spending some time with my grand daughter Alice the other day. We were conducting
some serious exploration of the forest next to my house. Alice is at the wonderful age of
nearly two, and everything (I mean Everything) is new and amazing to her.
She would get lost in contemplation of a leaf, a tree trunk, her shoes....and just stop,
entranced in wonder at a leaf catching the sunlight. And afer half an hour of this, I started
slow down and to see world in the same way.
And heres the thing - it really is a wonderful way to see the world. Te world becomes new
and rich again, beauty is everywhere, every sight is fascinating. And...I found that my aches
and pains from yesterdays tennis match disappeared completely.
Now theres a valuable lesson here.
When you take time to stop and slow down and just be - now - you give your body a chance
to restore its balance and rest. And we ofen dont take time to do this in our busy schedule.
Teres a simple way to do this right now. Take in a deep breath, hold it, count to 6 slowly,
then let it out - slowly.
Deep breathing can put you - instantly - into a restorative mode. Its like a magic switch that
sends a message right through all your muscles to relax. Troughout your day, whenever
you feel stressed, or hurried - or you just suddenly fnd yourself in the moment - do this.
Youll be surprised at how youll gain a whole new awareness of the only moment that
matters - now.
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Nurse Kayla
(and why she was banned from the back garden)...
My dogs name is Kayla, but shes earned the name Nurse Kayla and Ill tell you why.
For quite some time now Ive been bringing her to my surgery every day. She usually lies
under the reception desk so you can see her two hairy feet poking out from under the
bottom of the desk.
Whenever patients come in, she gets up, checks to see that they dont mind dogs, and if
theyre happy, she comes and sits up against their legs, practically sitting on their feet.
Tats why we call her nurse Kayla. Shes a vital part of the meet and greet at my clinic.
Ofen I can literally see peoples blood pressure drop and their shoulders relax as they give
her a pat.
Now, I used to put her in the back garden, where French doors open out from my consulting
room.
But I had to stop that.
Te reason was that like all dogs, Kayla senses emotions very keenly. So for example, when
a patient in my room was telling their story to me, and getting upset and overcome with
emotion, she would sit right by the door and whine in sympathy.
Tis proved a bit too distracting for me and my patients.
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Te thing is, there is a lot of emotion bound up in pain, especially chronic pain.
One patient of mine described it like this - my back pain entered our home like a cuckoo-
pushing aside my husband and two children.
Chronic pain can be incredibly invasive and emotionally debilitating.
So to break out of chronic pain, you sometimes need to re-look at the emotions surrounding
it. Ofen, they are feeding and amplifying the pain.
Its vital to keep a watch on your emotional as well as your physical health. In my case, the
end of my 6 years back pain came when I noticed that I only felt pain when I woke up,
when I was relaxing, and when I was doing fun activities like sport - never when I was
concentrating at work.
Using this knowledge, i was able to determine that my original injury had healed - instead
what I had was a pain amplifcation problem. I didnt allow it to interfere with my work, but
it became severe when I was trying to relax.
Within 8 weeks of this realisation, using mind body techniques, I was able to fnish the
chronic lower back pain that had blighted my life for 6 years.
And if what you have is a pain amplifcation problem, then it could be well worth looking
into the mind body connection for pain relief.
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Recovery
Your Bodys Natural Tendency
One of the most important questions I get is: I have this daily pain - how do I know that Ill
recover?

Tis is a really good question, and there are two things to keep in mind here:
1. Your bodys natural bent is towards health. Its like the natural world.
Afer every environmental disaster - drought, food, oil spills, fre, even while the ashes are
cooling, nature is already making a comeback.
Your body is like that. Give it a fair chance and itll start to heal.
2. Terefore you need to give your body a fair chance. Tere may be some foods youre
eating that dont help reduce infammation, or perhaps there are some movements you are
doing throughout the day that cause your muscles to tense up.
Correct these, and like the forest afer a frestorm, your body will start to recover. It may
take some time, but it will happen.
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Primeval Instincts in the 9-5 Office
Taming the Lizard Brain
I think Im a pretty well functioning human being.
In fact, most of us believe were pretty together, got things fairly sorted, and present a united
front to the world.
So it might surprise you to know that when you look at the human brain, its anything but
united.
Teres the amygdala - the so called lizard brain. Tis has evolved and stayed with us - like a
piece of old but useful sofware that never got uninstalled or upgraded.
Te amygdala is continually asking is it safe now? Is it safe now?
And if it doesnt think youre safe, then it turns on a panic response.
Now this was fne back when we needed to be this alert otherwise we would have been food
for saber tooth tigers.
But on a monday morning when you walk into the ofce, you start feeling stressed out and
this same stress (but without the outlet of running away) gets turned on.
What happens?
Well for most people, your body produces cortisol. Tis means that your heart rate speeds
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up, your breathing becomes a little faster, you feel hyped up. Tats fne if theres a precise
danger that you can do something about.
But many people spend hours every day in this state of low grade tension. And this is bad
for your system. In a state of emergency stand by your body doesnt prioritise restoring
cells, properly digesting food, and many of the myriad processes required to maintain
health.
Over time, this results in less than ideal health, and ofen causes muscle tension and trigger
points. A better plan?
When you notice a stress response in your body, stop. Ask yourself: is there real danger
to myself? If yes - what can I do about it? If no - take a deep breath in, hold it for six slow
seconds, and breathe out.
Feel you heart slow down, breathe deeply from your diaphragm. Congratulations. Youve
just turned of your stress response, and you can carry on your day with a clear head - and a
relaxed body.
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Stubborn Soccer Player Changes the
Medical Profession
Accepted Wisdom vs. a Determined Sportsman
I really like this story because it shows how challenging the accepted wisdom of the day can
be done by anyone - at any time - and with amazing results.
Also, while I grew up in South Africa, I was originally born in Manchester - so any stories
with Manchester United soccer players in them are fne by me:)
How you use your body when youre recovering from surgery will have a big efect on how
your scar turns out. Its known as relative rest and runs counter to the old lie in bed and
dont move form of recovery.
It appears slightly counter intuitive but once you think this principle through it makes
perfect sense. Using relative rest, your scars heal in a way that makes them smaller, more
fexible and stronger:
http://lifeaferpain.com/info/muscles/healing-scar-tissue/
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Why Worrying about the Small Stuff Helps
Widsom from my Father
I was talking the other day with my father. Hes 86, and one of the most active 86 year olds I
know.
3-4 times a week he plays golf. 2 times a week he plays bridge with some friends. He
gardens, makes fantastic fruit salads, and when hes not doing that, he spends time reading
the New Scientist, playing bridge and solving chess problems.
I was asking him how the country is going (he lives in South Africa.) And he was recounting
all sorts of problems - political, social, etc.
But then he said - But you know my biggest problem is my golf swing. I just cant seem to
keep my head down and get the rotation right. We both laughed. My dads a wise guy. You
see, its an old secret. If you worry about big stuf that you cant change, youre on your way
to stress, headaches and more stress.
Youre giving all your energy to things that will make your life harder. But if you can keep
your worries small, and about things you have some control over, then life becomes much
easier.
Likewise, when youre in pain, everything seems harder. But if you can take small steps
towards health, just little steps can help you regain your confdence. Little steps, then
celebrate the small victories.
Ive seen myself how small steps - like correcting your posture, or breathing correctly can
give people back their confdence in life - and help them eliminate pain.
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The Vineyard and the Bend in the Road
(On the virtues of Serendipity and Skinny Legs)
When I was a young man (many years ago :) I took a hiking holiday with my wife-to-be
down to the Cape.
Its beautiful country there - vineyards and old Cape-Dutch homesteads. We were resting by
the roadside one afernoon when an old Afrikaner farmer spotted us.
He seemed to take a shine to us both because he ofered us a bed and board if we could help
him with a few chores on his farm.
We agreed, and spent the next few days happily working on this beautiful old vineyard.
When it came time to go, he eyed me with a mischievious glint in his eye.
Young man, he said what are you doing walking all this way with such a big pack and such
skinny legs? Come with me.
He beckoned us down into his cellar, where bottles and bottles of amazing hundred year old
wine were gently aging.
Whatever you can ft in your backpack and carry out, you can take, he told me.
So we flled out backpacks as much as we could, and staggered out onto the road. We made
it as far as the next bend before we had to rest under a tree (and set about lightening the
load with a vintage red sundowner.)
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Which just goes to show - you never know, when you agree to something, what riches may
be in store you - just a little down the road.
It was like this when I frst cracked open my aged copy of the original trigger point manual.
I had no idea how ofen I was going to use this knowledge - both to help others and to help
myself.
Since then, Ive refned the techniques with my own experience and experimentation.
Ive found new ways of helping people treat themselves - in pain free, safe and even more
efective ways.
And at www.LifeAferPain.com Im ofering you a chance to take as much as you can carry
away from my own personal store of wisdom.
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The Mystery of the 11 oclock pain
(One of the Many Things I did not Learn at Medical School)
I once treated a guy who used to have a severe back pain arrive at 11 oclock every Monday
morning.
And heres the amazing thing he told me in our frst consultation.
It was a long weekend last weekend, and the pain arrived at 11 oclock on Tuesday.
Hmmm. I thought. Ive never heard of a physical condition that was able to tell the
diference between the days of the week. I told him. Tis could be mind-body related.
What? You mean, like, not real? he asked. But it hurts!
What do you mean by not real? I asked.
Well, if its in my mind, does that mean Im making it up? Is there really nothing wrong
with my back?
Tis is a really good question.
Te answer is that all pain is felt in your brain. Its possible to feel massive pain in your
back - with nothing physically wrong. But the pain is just as real as if there was something
wrong with your back.
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To your brain, all pain messages are equal and real.
So how can you tell if the pain messages youre getting are from not from physical damage?
Here are a few possible indicators:
You have had pain for months and there is no underlying disease (like lupus,
arthritis or cancer)
Tere was an injury, but it has had time to heal (even broken bones will heal in
2-3 months) but the pain continues
Te pain is set of by situations - ie when you are stressed, or at work, or trying
to relax - but absent at other times.
Tis type of pain could well be part of what we now know as the Mind Body Connection.
Tere are some fascinating studies coming out now on how this works, and some even more
interesting treatments - like Mindfulness Stress Reduction.
Here are some resources on the Life Afer Pain Site: http://lifeaferpain.com/info/category/
mindbody-interaction/
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The Accident that Happened on the
Same Day of Every Year
(More Mysteries of the Mind Body Connection)
I once had a patient come to see me because every year she used to have an accident on the
same day of the year.
Not an on purpose kind of accident either. She would have an honest to goodness accident
- like tripping over the cat, or falling down stairs, or having the neighbour drop a heavy box
on her foot. But it was always on the same day of the year.
Strange, I thought, and we started to talk.
Was there anything that happened on that day in the past? I asked. Some traumatic event?
Her face clouded over Oh no, I dont think so.
But her husband interrupted her with Yes, that was the day Frederick died.
It turned out that Frederick was her young son who had died in a car crash 15 years ago,
and she had never come to terms with it - even to the point of blocking the day out of her
memory.
But some part of her blamed herself. So as a sub conscious form of atonement on that day
every year, she would have an accident. And I want to stress here that she wasnt deliberately
hurting herself.
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But the subconscious refexes developed as a child that normally protect us from spills and
falls were switched of on that day, and she always ended up injuring herself.
Afer some sessions talking things over, she was able to break this cycle.
I tell this story to illustrate that our minds are incredibly complex instruments and have a
tremendous infuence over our health and well being.
Sometimes the problems we assume are purely physical actually have their origins in the
subconscious, or in our emotions. And at these times looking carefully at the wider picture -
with an open mind - can bring about life changing results.
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The Power of Definitions
(In which we discover that the force will always be with you)...
One of my favourite movies ...Im slightly embarrassed to admit....is Star Wars.
I remember being completely blown away when I frst saw it. My wife and I went to a special
sense-around cinema. Te whole cinema rumbled, the chairs shook, the star ships blazed...
and my wife fell asleep!`
Well, theres an important message in these flms for all pain suferers. It comes from Yoda,
the grammatically challenged but wise little green guy.
Here it is:
Named must be your fear before face it you can.
Now,this is true, but these days people are throwing around diagnoses and names without
really even knowing what they really mean.
Names like arthritis, rheumatism, spondylosis. Tese are all names that carry a lot of fear
attached, but that mainly happens when we dont know exactly what these conditions mean
for us, and more importantly, what we can do about them.
Ill be sharing some more information on these soon, but right now I just want to set the
record straight.
Arthritis is not a life sentence.
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Ive know plenty of people with incredible wear and tear on their spinal vertebrae.
Te x-rays of the neck looks like a catastrophe, but they have a great range of movement,
and pain free lives.
What does this mean?
It means that if you have pain in your joints and your x-rays show wear and tear, its not as
large a concern as you may think. And its certainly not a sure sign youre in for a painful old
age.
Wear and tear on joints is like a gnarled tree you may see down by the river. Its grown that
way through a lifetime of adapting to external forces. And while it may not look so pretty,
its perfectly natural, healthy and strong.
So once you get the joint pain settled - by anti-infammatory medicine, injections, and
Trigger point releases for the surrounding muscles or whatever treatment you choose -
theres no reason why you cant resume a healthy, active, pain free life. Even if your x-rays
show wear and tear on your joints.
Te relationship between wear and tear and pain in your joints is just not that strong. So
theres no reason to accept pain and deterioration as part and parcel of aging. And anyone
who tries to sell you on arthritic pain is just part of getting old - dont buy it!.
Your body is amazing at adapting to change, and aging is just that - a change. And its a
change that can be weathered gracefully.
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Once Upon a Time
A Story Healing & Transformation - Your Story
I was reading some fairy stories the other day - more entertainment for my grand daughter.
And I was struck by just how violent they all are. Almost without exception someones head
gets cut of, or they get eaten by a wolf, or a dragon.
Taken out of context, its odd what we read to our kids. Children seem quite calm and
accepting of fairy tales though - Im not sure why.
Tere was, however, one fairy story I particularly liked. Te Ugly Duckling.
You may know it. Its the story of a giant grey ugly duckling who gets harrassed and
bothered by his small yellow fufy duckling friends, until....one day... he grows into a
beautiful white swan.
Its a powerful story of tranformation.
And the message for me was this - not all the things that appear to be bad or a struggle at
the outset are in fact as they seem. I hated having back pain for six years, but it gave me
a valuable lesson in empathy and prompted me to specialise in musculo-skeletal pain -
helping people like you and I to navigate their way out of chronic pain.
Id be interested to hear - has their been any silver lining to your challenges?
Go here to join the conversation:
http://lifeaferpain.com/info/general/once-upon-a-time/
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Wax on, Wax off
Mr Miyage Teaches Trigger Points
I was watching the Karate Kid movie the other day. I know its not a serious movie, but it
does have some important lessons that can you can use.
You probably know the story - this kid learns karate from the master Mr Miyage so he can
stand up to the neighbourhood bullies.
When he frst starts his lessons, Mr Miyage puts him to work waxing all the cars in his car
yard with the same hand motion:
Wax on, wax of.
Te kids furious because he feels like hes just working for free and not learning karate.
But then Mr Miyage shows him how the wax on, wax of hand movement is actually a
crucial movement in karate. With this sweeping hand motion, he can block any punch.
So, how does this apply to you? Well, there are two types of learning - technique based and
principle based.
If you understand the fundamental principles behind a technique, you can apply it -
anywhere.
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I would like you to have principle based learning. I want you to be able solve the problems
of trigger points, and understand how and why you can do this.
Ten you can switch them of - anywhere in your body. Te frst step, though, is that you
need to understand how trigger points work.
And for that purpose - heres a short video I made explaining trigger points:
http://lifeaferpain.com/info/muscles/trigger-points/
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Pain Vampires
Garlic and Holy Water for Pain Relief
Have you noticed the number of vampire books/movies/TV series around at the moment?
Its hard not to. Its like the worlds suddenly become obsessed with vampires.
Why? Its hard to say. But heres a few folklore legends about vampires.
1. Tey cant enter your house unless you invite them in
2. Once they come in, its game over. Tey suck you dry.
Now, this is just folklore stuf, but I would bet that everyone has some kind of vampire in
their life.
It could be a work colleague who is always taking your time and energy. Or the daily
commute in a trafc jam that gets your blood pressure up and stresses you out.
Or for many of my subscribers its a daily pain that keeps coming back, leaving you tired and
sore.
So, remember rule number 1.= dont invite the vampire in.
When you start feeling the pain, turn your attention to something else.
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I can already hear you saying yes but....
But it hurts!
I didnt say it was easy. Te thing is, just as you can amplify your pain by giving it your full
attention, you can turn it down by directing your attention away rom the pain.
Having access to a good range of trigger point and myofascial release techniques helps. But
the most important thing is the this:
Bottom line: dont let pain vampires rule your life and suck you dry.
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Youer than You
(On the Secret to Life and Other Such Matters)
My grandaughters favourite flm at the moment is Kung Fu Panda. Its probably a bit old for
her, and we fast forwards through the fght scenes, but she really loves watching that panda.
I was watching it with her the other day (any excuse to chill out and enjoy childrens flms)
when I had a startling realization.
In the flm, theres the legend of the great Dragon Warrior, who can overcome any challenge.
And the secret to being this warrior is written on the Dragon scroll.
Now, if you havent watched the movie, then maybe you should stop here, because Im going
to give the plot away. (If you have, or you dont mind plot spoilers, then read on.)
When the panda opens the Dragon scroll, its blank.
Or rather, its beautiful shiny gold mirror that refects back whomever is looking at it.
Tats the secret!
To overcome any challenge, you have to be you. You cant be anyone else.
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To quote another great childrens author (Dr. Seuss):
Today you are You, that is truer than true. Tere is no one alive who is Youer than You.
You have within you all the resources you need to over come any challenge. Whether it is
with your health, your lifes goals, or your past.
And do that, you have to be Youer than You.
I have every confdence that you can do it - whatever it is - when you commit to being true
to yourself.
Tat means letting go of the past, forgetting about the future, and focusing on whatever is in
front of you - right now.
Go to it - amazing you!
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Today you are You, that is truer than true. Tere is no
one alive who is Youer than You.
- Dr Seuss

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The Tipping Point
(the Value of Keeping On Keeping On)
Ive been watching my grand daughter Alice learn to walk.
She hasnt quite got the hang of the lean forward until youre almost falling, then as youre
falling, put one foot forward, then the next and...Voila! Youre walking.
Watching her trying to walk, falling down, getting up, falling down again - that made me
think.
Probably, Alice doesnt feel like shes making any progress. At the moment, she just feels like
shes falling down a lot. But in fact, shes very very close to walking. When I take her hands
and give her just a little help, she can walk just fne.
Sometimes, thats all we need - just a little help. You may feel like youre a mile away from
being pain free because every day youre in pain.
But in fact you may be much close than you think - and you may just need a little help to
turn the corner and begin your journey back to health.
I dont think its ever occurred to Alice that she wont eventually get the hang of walking. Te
thought that youll never be pain free may have occurred to you.
But please - dont let it be more than a passing thought - quickly dismissed. Focus on the
things you can do - 5 minutes daily exercise, core breathing, good posture.
You could be at the tipping point - right now.
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Psychopaths in the Vege Garden
(Gardening and Life)
I was weeding my vege garden the other day, and I noticed that on the edges of the garden
was this creeper plant.
And it was psycho. I mean - it grew at least 3 times as fast as the veges I was trying to
nurture. It sent out tendrils at lightning speed. If I let it, it would have covered the entire
vege garden and strangled everything.
Now - in everyones life there are activities, or people, or problems that behave like this.
Tey encroach in, suck your energy and make life more difcult to live. For some of you, the
smothering creeper might be your chronic pain.
For others - health professionals, it might be an endless to do list, or the bad habit of multi-
tasking that leaves you overwhelmed and under productive.
Te bad news - psycho strangling creeper type problems will always be there. Te good
news - when you keep on top of them - you can get the nourishment you need to enjoy life
and prosper.
Te frst step is recognising the problem for what it is - a psycho creeper that is trying to
take over your life.
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Heres how to do that:
1. Look for moments in your day that you feel your heart racing, or your feel anxious and
overwhelmed.
2. In that moment - stop. Ask yourself - what is the exact cause of this feeling? You may have
to ask yourself this a few times before you get down to the real cause.
For example: Im anxious because I have so much to do. Why do I have so much to do?
Because I have 10 things on my list for this morning. Why do I have to do all these things
this morning? Because I dont know which of them is the most important, so Ill just try to
do them all as quickly as possible.
Aha. So the real problem is not having too much to do, the problem is clarity about what is
the most important thing.
For a sore back, it might go like this: Im anxious because my back hurts. Why does this
make you feel anxious? Because Im afraid that if it gets worse I may not be able to keep
doing my work? Ok - how do I know that it will get worse? I dont - Im just worried that it
will, and I have no other way of supporting myself if it does.
So - the underlying problem is that this person doesnt have an alternate means of fnancial
support. Now - this is not a quick fx problem.
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However - talking yourself out of worry is not the answer. To put persistent worries to rest,
you need to act your way out. In this case, the best way to move forwards is to investigate
what options there are for disability support, or what kind of work can be done if youre not
physically active due to a sore back.
Ofen once you have mapped what you can do in the worst case scenario the nagging
anxiety the comes up whenever you think about the future disappears.
And usually the worst case scenario will not happen. But knowing what you would do if it
did happen helps.
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The Ski Coaches Secret
( that might just help you stay pain free)...
Awareness is self correcting.
Tis is a principle used in learning many skills.
For example, some skiing coaches, instead of loading their students heads full of
complicated instructions, just get them to become aware of the angle of their skis
edging into the snow.
Te idea is that awareness of this will allow your body to do all the complex adjustments
that it does naturally. You just need to set up awareness feedback loops.
Tese feedback loops are an essential part of listening to and understanding your body and
moving better.
Its the same with posture. Once you have the awareness of what good posture feels like, and
keep that awareness in mind, you will naturally self correct your posture.
Afer all, you had perfect posture as a child - you just need to remember what it felt like.
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Is Cognitive Dissonance
Keeping You in Pain?
( Posture, Pain and Payoffs)...
Te wikipedia defnition of Cognitive dissonance goes as follows:
Coginitive Dissonance is discomfort caused by holding two or more conficting ideas
simultaneously.
Te theory goes that people have a motivational drive to reduce inner confict. Tey do this
by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions.
So for instance, you go out to dinner and you didnt like the meal much. But because you
spent time getting ready to go out, and spent money on the meal, you justify it and kid
yourself it was quite nice, really. Tis relieves the tension within yourself.
Because of cognitive dissonance its hard to cancel subscriptions, change bad decisions and
reverse habits that arent helpful to your health.
Its ofen the same if you have had a type of pain for a long time. In a way, it has become part
of your life.
You are invested in having this pain because youve sufered for it and it has cost you a lot
of time and energy. Sometimes there may even be so-called secondary gain - where people
around you give you sympathy or you dont need to do certain tasks.
~
Deep down you know it could be diferent, however...trying a new treatment that might
work would be like admitting that you have spent all that time in pain when you didnt need
to.
Tats why its sometimes easier to continue down the same path, even when the results
youve been getting arent that good.
On that subject, one area thats very easy to overlook is your posture. Its hard to change
because youve moved that way for years.
But, for all you know, bad posture could be causing you a world of pain. And just because
youve had the same posture for years doesnt mean you shouldnt reassess it from time to
time.
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Hammer and Nail Treatments
( that might just help you stay pain free)...
To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Tis ofen happens without conscious efort. People cant really help it.
Tats why when a surgeon looks at your MRI scan, he sees possibilities for operating. A
physio will see ways to treat you with exercises & stretches.
A massage therapist will see how you can beneft from massage.
Tere is nothing wrong with all this. Its just that you need to understand all your options -
and get second opinions.
And dont rush into treatment that are irreversible - ie. fusing your vertebrae - until youve
explored other treatments.
Trigger points are a powerful and surprising cause of pain thats ofen diagnosed as
something else.
Te symptoms can be close to arthritis, tendonitis and sciatica. And trigger point treatment
is safe and non-invasive.
Tats why - in addition to investigating all the possible causes and symptoms of a chronic
pain condition - its ofen well worth looking for active trigger points - and turning them of.
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Health and Happiness
( that might just help you stay pain free)...
Tere was a study a while ago where researchers tried to fnd a predictor of happiness.
Tey looked at everything - how wealthy they were, whether they were healthy, where they
lived, age, if they had children, as well as their race and gender.
Te single factor they found in common was the number of times people ate together
with friends and family.
A simple truth - eat together 1-3 times a week with your friends, family or loved ones, and
youre more likely to be happy.

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The Journey Back to Health
(the most likely improvement anyone can do)...
Teres a concept Id like to share with you thats both ancient and modern, and very useful.
Its what helped Toyota become a leading car manufacturer afer World War II, and is used
by companies and high performers around the world. And its equally helpful for people
who want to get out of daily pain.
Its the concept of Kaizen. Kaizen can be roughly translated as continuous never ending
improvement.
You see, there may be 5 things you need to change in order to be pain free.
You may need to:
1) treat your active trigger points
2) stretch every day
3) do 5 minutes core muscle exercises every morning
4) sit in a relaxed position at your desk each day
5) cut out infammatory foods from your diet.
When you look at this all together, it may seem like a daunting task.
But when you use the concept of Kaizen, it all becomes much simpler.
g
~
Heres how it works.
Every day you do just one thing to improve your body health.
Maybe on Monday you adjust your workstation to an optimum position. (If youre reading
this at your computer, take 2 minutes to do this now.)
Ten for that week you practice keeping tabs on how youre sitting. Every time you feel
tension building up you stop, relax, stretch, breathe, and assess your posture. Ten carry on.
Once you feel like this self checking has become a habit, you move onto the next thing.
Afer doing this for a couple of months youll be amazed at how far youve come.
Tats the magic of Kaizen.

g
The Meaning of Life
Wisdom from the Psychologist of Auschwitz
Today Id like to share with you the insights of an extraordinary man - Victor Frankl.
Survivor of Auschwitz, psychiatrist and founder of Logotherapy, Frankl was able to fnd
meaning in the most difcult of circumstances.
In Auschwitz, everyone sufered terribly. Many inmates began to feel that - with all they had
borne and witnessed - there was nothing more life had to ofer them.
In Frankls observation, this was a very dangerous state, because humans, beref of hope,
quickly became sick and ofen died of the many illnesses in the camp.
He determined that there is nothing worse than to sufer for no reason - to feel like your
sufering is meaningless.
So he faced his sufering straight on, and endeavoured to fnd a meaning for it.
In the end, Frankl saw that he could choose a meaning. Tough he could not prevent his
difculties, he could place a meaning on them that helped him as a human.
Te meaning he chose was spiritual advancement. To plumb the depths of his soul through
sufering and see if he could come out of it a wiser, truer, more compassionate human being.
He envisioned himself, afer the war was over, giving a lecture at his university on the
insights he had gained as a psychiatrist and inmage of the Nazi concentration camps.
g
In fact, this vision became reality. He wrote books and gave many lectures afer the war
sharing his insights.
Ultimately his experiences led to the development of logotherapy - a branch of psychology
concerned with our human search for meaning in life.
Frankl taught that if you are sufering - and truly no human has a life entirely free from
sufering - then it is vital to choose a meaning for your sufering.
Tats right. It is your choice - to decide what you will gain from the difcult experiences
you are going through.
It may be as simple as this will make me stronger or it may be a more complex and
personal meaning.
Frankl tells the story of one man who - on entry into Auschwitz, had made a bargain in his
heart with the almighty.
Te bargain was this - if he should die in the concentration camp, then his wife whom he
loved dearly would be spared. Tis gave meaning and dignity to his plight.
Te vital thing is to place a meaning on sufering, to not sufer meaninglessly.
It is a choice - and by choosing, it is possible to come through the ordeal a stronger, more
compassionate human being.
~
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Courage
(the most likely improvement anyone can do)...
Today I want you to take a minute and remember an instance - one time - that you showed
real courage.
It could have been helping someone in a dangerous situation, or starting a new job, or
asking out someone that you really fancied.
If you had the moment of heart stopping adrenaline, and then went ahead and did the brave
thing anyway, then you showed real courage.
Id like you to think back on the moment, and recognise that you have that same courage
within you, now.
Because living with chronic pain requires huge courage. It takes courage to get up in the
morning and go for a walk outside in your street.
It takes courage to do a set of core exercises when youre worried about causing more pain.
And it takes courage to have faith in your bodys innate ability to heal.
So today, take ten minutes to remember every time you proved yourself courageous, write it
down, and put it somewhere youll see it - ofen.
And with your courage, begin the path back to health.
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If You Dont Do This, No One Will
(Frodo Steps Up)...
I was watching the Lord of the Rings the other day the last movie in the trilogy. Teres
this part near the end when Frodo the main hero is battling against tremendous odds to
accomplish his task. Hes exhausted, afraid, hungry and close to despair.
Its at this point that you hear a voice from his past saying this task was appointed to you
FrodoIf you do not fnd a way, no one will.
Tis got me thinking. In life there are many tasks appointed to us by ourselves or by
others. And we seldom think of our own health and well being as a task. But it is a vital
one.
And if you do not fnd a way to own and take control of your health, no one else will.
Im not saying that you shouldnt seek help from every quarter when you have a health issue.
But healing is always a two way process. On one side theres the medic, or physician, or
healer and then on the other side theres you.
And what you bring to the table is crucial to getting better.
You bring: your understanding: do you understand what the problem is and what you can
do to accelerate your healing?
Your attitude: do you feel positive towards your body and encourage its healing?
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~
Your action: do you do the things you need to in order to give your body the best shot at
getting better whether its good nutrition, exercise, relaxation practice or taking your
medication regularly?
In the end, expecting to be fxed just doesnt work. Teres always some part that you need
to do. And no one else can do this for you. Its once you realise and take responsibility for
this that things get not easier exactly. But clearer.
When I had back pain for years, I medicated myself (haphazardly) and generally tried to
ignore or berate my body when it gave me pain. But one day I decided that really, this task
was mine, and if I didnt fnd a way to fx it, no one would.
Tis started me on a quest. I tried a variety of approaches until one fnally worked. And
it was the clarity that came from truly owning the problem of my back pain that gave
me the crucial insight. In my case it was the mind body connection that was the key to
understanding and then ending my chronic back pain.
Te key for everyone is diferent, and for some people there may be no one thing but a
variety of factors that combine to give a better quality of life and in time some degree of
control over chronic pain. But the frst step is realising that you are the one in charge the
fnal arbiter, the captain and CEO of your own health.
To your continued wellbeing,
JK
g
Subway Virtuosos
Coming Awake to the Wonder of Life Around You
One afernoon in a busy New York subway a violinist played to a typical commuter crowd.
People bustled by, barely sparing him a glance. One or two kids stopped, transfxed, before
being pulled away by their harried parents.
Little did they know that this particular violinist had not taken the subway to get to his
busking spot.
Instead, he had caught a taxi in order to protect his 4 million dollar Stradivarius violin. In
fact, the violinist was none other than world famous virtuoso Joshua Bell.
And he was playing one of the most technically challenging pieces in the violin lexicon. A
week previous, Joshua had performed at Carnegie Hall, with tickets a minimum of $100 a
seat.
So - how did he do with the rush hour crowd? Afer half an hours playing, Joshua had made
the princely sum of $32. And only 7 people had stopped to listen for more than a minute.
How does this happen?
Well, our brains are constantly fltering reality for us - according to expectation. Tat means,
if were not expecting to see a world class violinist busking in the subway - we dont see him.
Even if hes smack bang in the middle of our daily commute.
g
~
And if were not expecting to fnd a simple solution to a problem thats plagued us for years,
we may not recognise it. Even when its with us every day.
Tats why when it comes time to reassess our posture, we ofen overlook the obvious.
Tings like the chair we sit on, or the shoes we wear.
But changing these these can sometimes be the key to ending chronic muscle pain.
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Spirits in the desert
(the most likely improvement anyone can do)...
My wifes father fought in World War II. He was posted in the North African desert, fghting
against General Rommel - the desert fox.
Now, when a war lasts years, as this one did, there were brief periods of confict and
adrenaline, followed by long months of what could have been utter, mind numbing
boredom.
But, my father in law was a man of many talents. As an engineer, he organised maths
competitions and chess championships to keep his comrades morale up.
Amongst the soldiers were university professors whom he encouraged to give lectures on
their feld of study. Together, they put on theatre productions and studied greek philosophy.
Tey found ways to keep their minds occupied and spirits up as they waited for months in
the harsh African desert for news of the enemy.
Chronic pain is a desert where good people can be stranded for months, or even years.
And keeping good morale is key to winning this battle.
So you need to keep engaged in life - any way you can. Even if youre not well enough to
exercise as you used to, do something - even if its a small walk around the block.
Watch a sports game and visualise yourself playing too. Read, listen to music, keep your
mind active. And, as part of keeping your mind active, I would highly recommend learning
more about the mind body connection.
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80-20 Thinking
(An Italian Economists and his Pea Garden)...
I want to introduce you to a concept today: its called the 80/20 rule.
It was originally discovered by Pareto, an Italian economist several hundred years ago.
Pareto noticed that 20% of the pea plants in his garden produced 80% of the peas.
And when he looked into other spheres of life - economics, nature, life, the rule held true.
In essence the 80 rule states that 80% of the good results you get come from 20% of what
you do.
And 80% of the problems you get come from 20% of what you do.
So when it comes to chronic pain, its very likely that theres an important just 20% you need
to change to get a vast improvement in your quality of life.
And for a lot of people, discovering that 20% involves looking at your daily habits.
What do you do every day? What do you eat? How do you sit when you work? What do you
do for recreation?
When you really start to analyse your daily life, you can ofen see some surprising patterns.
Tere may be a relationship between your work habits and muscle pain. Or between your
emotions and how sensitised your pain system is.
g
~
Of all the connections, the tie between emotions and how you feel is the one that intrigues
me most.
Its what helped me end my years of severe back pain and get back into my normal life.
And while its easier to look for a cure outside of you, Ive had many patients who were able
to use the Mind Body Connection to get back their normal lives.
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The Ant Puzzle
(Finding the Problem Underneath the Problem)...
Heres something that happened to me a while back.
In our kitchen, there was an invasion of ants. It was summer - so not too surprising. But
these guys were everywhere - a true armageddon style invasion.
I tried all the usual things to contain them. Im not a big fan of poisonous chemicals
(especially at home) but I ended up spraying some pest control chemicals around the
kitchen. It did nothing.
I set up a honey trap for the ants - they werent interested.
I tried looking for a hole where they might be getting in - still no luck.
Finally, I looked in the very bottom back of the pantry. And nestled down there was a
broken jam jar with a veritable ant-heaven of jam full of busy little ants.
Problem solved.
So - the moral of the story is: what simple problem are you trying to solve with band-aids
like ant spray, honey traps and hole plugging - that would go away if you just threw out the
broken jam jar?
g
~
For some people its a toxic work environment. For others its an activity they do every day
(like typing) that theyre doing in such a way that it sets of triggers in their neck, arms and
shoulders. Still other people need to change their diet (sometimes only a little) to get rid of
foods that amp up the bodys infammation response.
Id like to invite you all to sit back and have a think - whats the simple (though sometimes
hidden) solution to a problem thats had you stumped for a long time.
For many people I know with chronic pain, its Trigger Points. But thats not everybody.
So have a think on it, and you may come to some unusual conclusions.
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The Stop Doing List
(Good news...Bad News?)...
Heres an interesting assignment.
It goes like this: Suppose you woke up tomorrow and received two phone calls. Te frst
phone call tells you that you have inherited $20 million, no strings attached.
Te second tells you that you have an incurable and terminal disease, and you have no more
than 10 years to live. What would you do diferently, and, in particular, what would you stop
doing?
A lot of the time, the headaches and strife in our lives come from things we need to stop
doing, rather than things we arent doing.
And once you stop doing things that cause you stress and muscle pain, that gives you room
to start doing the things that keep you healthy and well.
So - what would your stop doing list be?
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Driving Miss Bingham
(92 Year Old Rally Drivers)...
One of the best things about my years as a country doctor was the wonderful people I met.
And one of my favourite people was Miss Bingham.
At the age of 92 she was still doing cross stitch (without glasses) and driving around town in
her tiny daihatsu.
One day she came in for her regular checkup, and told me this story.
I was driving along coming into town and I hit some loose gravel. And next thing I knew
my car had spun around and I ended up facing the same way as I had come.
Wow I mouthed. So what did you do?
She looked at me in surprise, then said primly, as if stating the obvious:
I turned around, and drove straight back through again.
You see, some people never get the idea that theyre old and shouldnt be doing certain
things any more.
I get inspired constantly by people who write in to say theyre running marathons aged 65,
or theyre senior tennis champs, or cycling kilometers every day.
g
~
A lot of twenty year olds would struggle to keep up with these folks.
But I also see people who, for whatever reason, decide that their best physical years are over,
and theres no reason to stay active.
So, please - if theres anything you love doing, that gives you joy and challenges you - keep
doing this!
Even more importantly - if there is something new you wish to learn - do it.
Tis is because it has now been shown that learning a new skill lays down new neural
pathways in your brain.
Itll keep you young, happy and healthy, no matter what your age.
And treating trigger points can also help you stay fexible. Its a little known fact that latent
as well as active triggers can cause stifness, so keeping them treated can prevent stifness
and injury - especially if youre active.
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Too Stiff to Stretch
(Quite likely youre doing this too - somewhere)...
Te other day, I was spending time with my gorgeous grand daughter Alice. She was getting
tired, and a bit grumpy, but refused to go to sleep.
Shes too tired to sleep her mother informed me.
Huh? I thought. Ten I realised theres something very human in that logic. Ive had people
tell me they were too old to start eating healthily. Or too fat to diet.
Or too stif to stretch. Or too unft to exercise.
I know that being stif or unft makes stretching and exercising difcult, but thats precisely
the time when you need it more.
Like my grand daughter Alice, she wasnt going to feel better until she had a sleep.
Doing stretches and having core strength can be the missing link for getting rid of muscle
pain.
Te key is to start small - and gradually work upwards. Start with the smallest possible
action - like a 2 minute walk, do that for a week, then slowly increase it - just 30 seconds
more a day.
Tats the best and fastest way to create new habits - using miniscule baby steps. But over
time, added together, these baby steps transform your life.
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Move aside the Fascia
(1970s Med School)...
I remember in 2nd year medical school we spent the entire year dissecting one person
who had donated their body to science.
Te frst session was quite eerie - in a hushed and formal kind of way. We were 4 people
to one cadaver. Everyone was very quiet and we started dissecting at the lef foot.
We had a surgical specialist conducting the dissection.
He was a small guy with a slightly dry voice. As wed look for a particular muscle or organ
wed ofen fnd a silvery glistening substance in the way.
I cant fnd the psoas someone would say.
Just move aside the fascia our surgeon would direct.
You see, in those days the fascia wasnt seen as important at all. It was just something you
moved aside to get to the important parts.
Tat was then.
Now, we know that the fascia is responsible for our smooth movement. It binds all the
musclestogether in a glistening silver second skin. Without it wed move like jerky robots.
It also plays a big part in how we age, our fexibility, coordination - and staying pain free.
And thats why knowing how to release trigger points is a vital health maintenance skill.
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When its time to call it quits
(The Answer to a Tricky Question)...
What is the defnition of madness? Doing the same thing twice
and expecting a diferent result. - Einstein.
If youve been trying a certain treatment and it isnt working, when is it time to call it quits?
Te answer to this is both difcult and easy.
Quit as soon as you are sure that you have a negative result.
And this timeline varies from treatment to treatment. For anti-biotics its about 6-7 days.
For dietary changes, its a matter of weeks. For postural changes, again, timelines vary from
a few days to a few weeks.
For surgery, sometimes you have to wait months until your scars have healed to be sure that
youre feeling better than before the treatment.
And you cant undo surgery. (Tats why I usually advocate some types of surgery - ie. fusing
vertebrae, as a last resort.)
Te good news is, for trigger point releases, you can get a result in about 2 minutes.
As you do the trigger point release, you should be able to feel the trigger point melting away
under your fngers.
g
~
Of course, for full efect you may need to spend some time - days or weeks -fnding all the
trigger points.
Some trigger points may only become apparent afer youve deactivated the the most
obvious ones.
But to get a frst, positive result, even if its small, takes about two minutes to test.
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3 Foot Long Nerves, Brain Freeze and
Tension Headaches
(Unusual Systems in Your Body)...
Have you ever eaten an ice cream and gotten brain freeze ? Its an unpleasant feeling -
a real head pain, but you get it from eating something really cold - like an ice cream.
Ten theres the tickle in your throat that for some reason you feel can be relieved by
scratching your ear.
Why do we sometimes get such confusing pain messages? Well, the correct terminology for
this happening is called convergence.
It works like this: inside your brain in the sensory cortex there lives a perfect model, or
neural description of your body called a homunculus.
Te way it functions was worked out with advanced brain imaging. Using this technology,
scientists have been able to map each part of your body to an area of your brain.
So, if you stub your toe, the nerve that supplies information about your toe picks up the
message. However it then joins with other nerves and joins a trunk line. Eventually the
stubbed toe message arrives at your brain. Tis message about the toe goes to the toe area
in your brain, and you say ouch.
However, this system isnt perfect. Te toe nerve is about 3 foot long and somewhere along
the way other parts of the body become bundled into the original message and your brain
may also think that other parts of your body are ouchy as well.
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~
Tis is what happens with trigger points. You get a spasm in the muscle, and through
convergence, the pain can be perceived as coming from a completely diferent part of your
body.
Te perceived pain from a trigger is called the pain referall pattern, and it can at times be
quite puzzling.
Triggers in your neck can cause an aching pain radiating down your arm, points in your
abdomen can cause pain in your back, points in your buttock can cause pain shooting down
your leg, triggers in your forearm can cause pain in your wrist and hand.
And most commonly, active trigger points in your shoulders can cause pain that goes up
your neck and settles behind your eyes - the classic ofce workers tension headache.
Tats why Ive found the skill of treating trigger points so valuable. Trigger point pain is
fairly common, it can come up in the most unlikely places - and its ofen missed entirely.
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The Fascinating Link between Good
Intentions and Muscle Pain
(The Great Grandmother Food Test)...
Teres an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Teres a lot of truth in this. When I look around, its strange that the rise of health foods
and varied and complex diets - the South Beach, Liver Cleansing et al has coincided with
the highest incidents in recorded history of weight problems and diet related illnesses.
How did this happen?
Teres many reasons. Our change to ofce work. Our busyness and how easy it is now to
not cook and eat at home. Te ease and availability of processed and packaged foods.
It comes down a fairly simple equation though. Teres what I call real food - the stuf
that your grandma would have had when she was a kid, and the not quite real food which
comes in packets in the supermarket.
Tis psuedo food is sometimes known and energy bars or health supplements but more
commonly comes under the heading of quick instant or 0% fat food.
Buyer beware - this stuf will not help reduce muscle pain in your body - quite the opposite.
When you eat food that your body is not used to processing, you raise the amount of
infammatory chemicals in your body. And this can cause muscle pain - and trigger points.
Te bottom line: eat real food. If your great grandmother wouldnt recognise it, chances are
your digestive system wont either.
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The Big Problem
(the one most people dont know about)...
Heres a big problem almost everyone gets - but we dont know it. Its this: we have whats
called the internal monologue going 24/7 in our heads.
Have you ever had the experience of - just before you fall asleep - hearing the constant
chatter of thoughts in your head that wont stop?
Tats the internal monologue. It doesnt ever stop. Its the part of your brain thats always
busy, weighing, worrying, judging, fretting - nonstop.
Its always telling you about whats happening in your world - and putting meanings onto
events that - from the outside viewpoint - just happen.
Te problem comes in when this part of your brain puts meanings on events that make it
harder for you to live in relative peace and comfort.
For instance - a twinge in your back can be labelled as the onset of arthritis, or a serious
problem that may need surgery when in fact you just need a hot shower, a stretch, and some
gentle exercise.
You may even stop exercising out of concern for your back - and this may indeed make your
back feel much worse - a true self fulflling prophecy.
Now - Im not saying you should ignore all warning signs of pain in your body. By all
means, have them checked out by a medical professional if they are not clearing up.
g
~
However, if medical science cant fnd anything wrong with you, and youre still in pain,
then sometimes you have to look in a slightly unusual place for the solution.
In some cases, the cause of your problem is in your mind - specifcally in the mind body
connection.
And in the internal monologue which is putting meanings on the messages your mind is
receiving from your body. Tis efect is powerful - its now been shown that your mind can
amplify pain messages - turning a twinge into a major source of pain - even when there isnt
damage in your body.
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The Wish for Healing
(the half of health)...
Te wish for healing has always been half of health.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Tis has always been true. Many years ago, when I lived in South Africa, I remember
we had a mobile clinic once a week in Soweto - one of the poorest parts of Johannesburg.
Te people who came there would have waited for hours, and possibly walked for miles to
get their 2 minutes of medical care.
I wouldnt be surprised though, to fnd out that the success rate of their treatment was very
high.
You see, their healing had begun from the moment they lef, early in the morning, to get to
the clinic and wait in line.
Likewise, I sometimes get people booked in to see me. Unfortunately I have a long waiting
list - sometimes up to two months.
Tis is usually not a problem, as I dont see people who need urgent medical attention.
Its interesting, though, how many people report that they feel much better by the time they
come to see me.
Almost as if the decision that they made to see a specialist has helped them to start the
healing process themselves.
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~
Te confdence they have that help is on its way helps their body rally its own natural
resources.
Because - medication and physical treatments aside - you have your own powerful toolkit of
healing.
And once you learn to unlock and use those tools, the efects can be dramatic.
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Unreasonable Bosses and Hidden Tensions
(How much tension are you secretly holding?)...
True story - I once had to ring up the boss of one of my patients to get him time of work so
I give him an injection treatment.
Tis guy (well call him Derek) came to me with a very stif neck. I ended up needing to give
him trigger point injections, and we were discussing when I could book him in to do the
injections.
He looked worried. I cant really take time of work. My boss wont like it.
Derek, I said. Tats what sick days are for. How many have you taken this year?
Just one, he said. Tis one now.
Well, you need to take one more.
He looked worried again. I cant.
So I ended up ringing his boss. Derek was right - his boss wasnt happy. He tried to refuse,
saying that he couldnt give Derek any time of work.
But I explained that this was non-negotiable. He needed the treatment, and he had a legal
right to a sick day to get it.
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~
Now, this may seem a bit unreasonable, but its amazing how ofen we can end up living
under stressful conditions - and just getting used to it.
Derek didnt think it was strange that his boss wouldnt give him time of work for a
treatment he needed - he didnt even question it.
Tats why its worth looking at yourself every now and again - and seeing whether you can
do anything to relieve tension and stress in your life.
One area where tension can build up hugely - unnoticed - is in our posture. We dont even
realise how much tension were holding - until we try releasing it.
And then the diference can be profound.
g
Strange Tales from the Clinic
(The Mind Body Effect)...
Charlotte came to see me with a terrible pain that would wake her up in the night.
It was a very odd kind of pain: two bands across her wrists and her lower legs. Shed had it
for several months, and it was excruciating.
I listened to her. Tis is the strangest pain Ive ever heard of. Can you think about anything
in your life - anything at all - that youve had in the past that may have been similar?
Charlotte sat and thought for a couple of minutes.
You know, I dont know if this has anything do with it, but in my twenties, I had terrible
depression, and to treat it I had electro-convulsive therapy.
How did they do that? I asked.
Well, she said I would get strapped down to a bed - with straps around my ankles
and wrists. She stopped.
With straps holding you down exactly where youre feeling pain now. I said. Which you
only get when youre lying down. Could it be that the pain is connected with this traumatic
experience from twenty years ago?
We talked though the concepts of mind body - and how her pain could be a recreation
by her mind of a remembered pain.
g
~
So its like a memory of the pain that my subconscious mind has brought up because its
working through stuf. She said. Tat makes a kind of sense to me.
We talked some more about strategies to manage and get rid of pain thats coming purely
from the mind/body connection.
Its possible I said. As far as I can tell, theres no physical reason for your pain. Is there any
reason why you should have memories of that time in your life coming up again? Anything
in your life now that could have triggered this?
Charlotte thought again. No - theres no reason I can think of.
Ten, I said I should expect the pain to fade away.
Good, she said in a matter-of-fact way. So would I.
And in a couple of weeks the mysterious burning pain was gone.
Tis just goes to show the power the mind has to produce pain - it really doesnt need
anything to be physically wrong to cause sometimes severe pain.
And in the same way, you can get rid of mind body pain just by understanding it, and using
some simple mind body techniques.
g
Nocebos
(On the Dangers of Misdiagnosis)...
Youve may already have heard of the placebo efect.
It occurs when a patient is given a fake medicine, but believes that it is a legitimate
treatment that will cure him or her.
Te placebo efect is when patients get better from this fake medicine. It is actual proof
positive of the power of belief and our bodies ability to heal. Tis efect has at times been
powerful enough to get cancer to go into remission.
It is, I believe, the main reason that any health professional stays in business!
Tere is another efect though - the opposite of the placebo efect.
Its called the nocebo efect.
It occurs when a patient is given a fake drug that they believe will have a harmful efect on
them.
Patients sometimes get sick from taking sugar pills - but ones that they believe will give
them bad side efects. Tis efect can also occur when someone is given an incorrect
diagnosis.
So they may believe either that they have a disease that they dont have, or that the problem
they have is much worse than it really is.
g
~
Te results can be extreme. At the far end of nocebos, people have died from diseases that
they never had.
So its incredibly important to understand exactly whats going on in your body.
But when you have unexplained pain, keeping tabs on what to think and focus on becomes
very difcult. Especially when the pain messages youre getting may be incorrect - that is,
coming from a sensitised pain system.
Tis is what can happen.
You get unrelenting pain. You go to a doctor, get all the tests possible - nothing comes up as
an explanation.
Tere are no simple, easy fxes for this. But if you do have a malfunctioning pain system, the
frst step is understanding.
You need to understand how your pain system works, and why some pain messages can (in
fact need to be) be safely ignored to downgrade their importance in your pain system - and
thus gradually down grade the strength of the message.
And this helps to combat the nocebo efect - where believing that you have a potentially life
threatening or non-curable condition can actually make the pain worse.
g
How to Get Better
(Also Known as - You Experience What You Focus On)...
Yes, but......
Tis may seem strange, but I see people every day who are more concerned with their illness
than with fnding a cure.
Teyre usually easy to pick.
As Im explaining treatment options, they are always looking for reasons why - in their case,
nothing will work. Even before theyve tried the treatment.
Te commonest statement they make is: Yes, but....
When I take a medical history, theyre describing their afiction as if its part of them -
central to their life. As diferent from a necessary evil to be endured until they can get rid of
it.
Heres something true of life - nature abhors a vacuum.
Its easier to replace something with another thing than to just get rid of it. Its also easier to
get better if you have a strong sense of purpose.
Whatever that purpose is - to pursue your career, look afer your kids, get back to work,
resume your normal healthy lifestyle.
When youre in pain its important to remember who you were before the pain happened. So
you can focus on fnding your way back.
g
(the moment before the movement)...
One of my favourite books of all time is Winnie the Pooh.
For those who dont know the books, theres this great moment in them that could really
help you correct your posture.
Winnie the Pooh and his best friend Piglet are talking about the best things in life.
Well, said Pooh, what I like best, and then he had to stop and think. Because although
Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it
which was better than when you were, but he didnt know what it was called.
Tis is the moment where everything is potential, and youre fully there - in anticipation.
Youre fully present.
And this is the moment you need to capture if you want to correct your posture. (And stop
trigger points coming back.)
Its the moment before you move, before you sit up, before you sit down. Its also the
moment before you tense and let old habits bring your muscle tension (and ofen trigger
points) back in full force.
So today, practice experiencing fully that moment before you move. See what it feels like,
relax, and then move in as natural and efortless way as possible.
The Winnie the Pooh Guide to
Correcting Posture
g
Well, said Pooh, what I like best, and then he had
to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey
was a very good thing to do, there was a moment
just before you began to eat it which was better
than when you were, but he didnt know what it was
called.
- A A Milne

(Using Logic to Combat Chronic Pain)...

Tis kind of logic is so ingrained in us humans - its almost invisible.
If I get this, then this will happen, or If this happens, then this will be the result.
Its easy to see why we do this, because cause and efect are part of life. But sometimes, this
logic is false.
If my back stops hurting, then Ill walk in a relaxed way.
Sometimes, you have to break out of the if....then cycle and act as if you already had what
you wanted.
Studies have shown that people who smile (even when theyre not happy) end up feeling
happier. Its a response thats built in. You do something physical, and that afects how you
feel.
Tis response can work in other ways too.
Having relaxed posture will help your muscles relax - thus reducing pain. Good posture
shows you how to walk in an efortless way.
It also helps you breathe properly - helping your muscles to relax even if they dont want to
so that you can stop and rest without pain
You move as if you had relaxed muscles, and this creates a response so that your muscles
will in fact relax. Try this for a day and feel the result!
If....Then Logic
A Pound of Lard
(Genetic Lotteries & healthy eating)...
For many years before I specialised, I used to look afer the old age hospital in my town. It
was a lovely place - red brick and tile, next to the golf course, with great staf and a caring
ethos.
And I met some fantastic people there over the years.
Two memorable old guys were Harold and Ray. Harold was quite plump, while Ray was thin
as a rake, and theyd been friends since kindergarten.
Tey used to sit in their favourite sunny spot and tell jokes and stories to each other from
the many years theyd shared.
Ten...
Nurse Harold would yell bring me a pound of lard to oil me joints.
Harold would always have a tot of rum hidden in his sofa, (medicinal) and hed swig on
it throughout the day. Ray smoked for years, only stopping when he went to this old age
hospital.
And they both lived to a ripe old age, in relatively good health.
Which just goes to show - some folks are born lucky. Its like they win the genetic lottery.
Teyve ended up with rolls royce bodies, while the rest of us have lucked out on a beat up
old subaru.
~
You probably all know people like this - they can eat what they like, when they like, with
zero problems.
Te rest of us - not quite so lucky.
And some of us absolutely have to watch what we eat. Its a big deal because what we eat can
have a huge efect on muscle pain.
If thats you (or you think it may be) then eating only low infammation or anti-
infammatory foods could have a big impact on your health.
Avoid: processed wheat, sugar, alcohol, deep fried foods
Eat lots of: dark green leafy veges, blueberries, omega 3 (faxseed oil, salmon) cruciferous
veges, walnuts, colourful veges like beetroot and bell peppers, ginger, tumeric, berries and
whole grains.
Not only is this an all round healthier diet - it helps reduce the chemicals in your body that
create infammation and muscle pain.
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